40 days…
March 26, 2006 5:23 pm
Friday March 3rd at approximately 10 PM I began my first official observation of Lent. Since I did not begin on ash Wednesday, March 1st, I may be technically disqualified. I am participating on the principle of the occasion and not the exactness of its related laws. I am not exactly sure how the Catholic church arrived at the specifics of observing lent or how the history of these laws have changed over the years to the version that is now in practice. I did find this scripture reference as support for the practice of lent.
"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia . . . ‘I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.’" (Daniel 10:1-3)
Although many people still observe lent by abstaining from meat and wine for 40 days, the object of ones abstention seems to be open to whatever a person feels compelled to substitute, usually something that they enjoy as a guilty pleasure of sorts. Spiritually, this personal decision allows the experience to become a meaningful introspective offering. My personal indulgence was obvious to me, once I took the possibility of participation seriously. I would give up pop. No sweet, carbonated, caffeinated beverages. I am almost famous for over indulging in coke refills at restaurants. I still boast of one glorious evening at Chili’s in college when I drank 17 refills of coke in a single sitting. The number gets a little higher each time I tell the story, but I think it was at least 13. Anyways, I will not drink a coke or a mountain dew for the next 40 days, until Wednesday the 12th of April. The official rules of Lent omit observance on Sundays, so here I am also breaching the contract since I am going 40 days straight. This just seems better to me. The observance is supposed to be patterned after Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, I don’t imagine he took off Sundays while in the desert, so I decided I wouldn’t either.
The first week was really bad. I generally have about three 16 ouncers each day at lunch of either coke or mountain dew. I went through a pretty apparent withdrawal phase in the afternoon of each day after being deprived of my sugar and caffeine fix. Rather severe headaches followed, that seemed to effect my whole head at first and then slowly rose into my forehead with the passing days. All of my teeth started to ache as well, I think the enamel had some sort of reaction to fresh air after not being coated with sugar each day and the roots were accustom to being medicated by coke acid. Its been about 3 weeks now and most of the withdrawal symptoms seemed to have passed.
It’s odd to be conscience of abstaining from something that is so available and common for everyone else, I suppose I know how the Mormons feel now. It’s also good to be reminded that I do not need many things in this life. Many of the needs that I have become accustom to are not really needs at all. I should not be controlled by the desire for anything in this life, especially an artificially generated nectar of modern product marketing. But I believe it is more than just denying oneself or ones environment, its also choosing an alternative. I should be controlled by the desire to know God and His will for my life. That is my personal choice of priority. It seems like a silly or even masochists decision to spend 40 days in a desert, but if it authentically connects you with the presence of a real God than it is a small price to pay. Its just coke and caffeine or meat and wine, but the symbol points to an exchange that is much greater.
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